The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.